Depicting motion in a static image. Philosophy, psychology and the perception of pictures

old_uid18484
titleDepicting motion in a static image. Philosophy, psychology and the perception of pictures
start_date2020/11/24
schedule13h
onlineno
location_infosalle Annie Génovèse (ou sur en ligne)
summaryThis seminar focuses on whether static images can depict motion. It is natural to say that pictures depicting objects caught in the middle of a dynamic action - such as Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Behind the Gare St. Lazare - are pictures of movement, but, given that pictures themselves do not move, can we make sense of such an idea ? Drawing on results from experimental psychology and cognitive sciences I show that we can. Psychological studies on implicit motion and representational momentum indicate that motion is really perceived in some static images : our visual system is built in order to detect motion even where it is only implied and to anticipate the probable outcomes of others’ actions - even when the “others” are only pictures’ subject matters. I argue that, consequently, a range of popular depiction theories - perceptualist theories of depiction - can accommodate depicted motion.
responsiblesLaboissière